Over 11,000 people packed Rochdale town centre this weekend for another feast of live music, food and family entertainment at the tenth Rochdale Feel Good Festival.
The town centre was filled with an array of entertainment for the Rochdale Borough Council organised summer event, headlined by indie rock band Razorlight.
Councillor Janet Emsley, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, community and culture said: “To celebrate the festival’s tenth birthday we promised something very special and I think that was what we did. It has been superb. The festival certainly delivered the feel good factor with great live music, amazing food and some really imaginative family entertainment. The weather wasn’t kind to us on Friday but thankfully we got lots of summer sunshine on Saturday and the crowds came down in their thousands. We really appreciate this support and all the wonderful feedback we are receiving, which makes all the time and effort that goes into this festival worthwhile. I have never seen the town centre as busy, Rochdale has a lot to be proud of and over the last decade we have created a nationally recognised event that is the envy of many towns.”
On Saturday the main stage (sponsored by The Flying Horse Hotel and hosted by DJ Dave Sweetmore) was opened in colourful style with a mesmerising set from the
Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band. They were followed by Manchester band Honeyfeet and then Rochdale singer/songwriter Kirk McElhinney.
At 3pm, The Karpets fronted by Tom Hingley stormed onto the stage, performing a series of Inspiral Carpets classics including This is How It Feels, Caravan, Saturn 5 and I Want You.
Next up was Battle of the Bands winners The Recreation, playing the biggest gig of their young career and gaining a lot of new fans in the process. Funk pop outfit The Bright Black returned to make their second appearance at the festival after impressing in 2016.
Delphina Kings, one of the North West’s best new indie pop acts, were followed by BBC Introducing favourites Pacific, and the piano led alternative indie band got an amazing reception from an already packed crowd.
RedFaces – one of the most hotly tipped bands of the moment treated the festival to half an hour of their high energy sounds, finishing with their debut single Kerosene, which was named ‘Record of the Week’ by radio stations across the country earlier this year.
Setting the scene for the headliners, Baked A La Ska took to the stage just after 8pm as the sun started to set over the town hall. They delivered a mad hour of the feel good factor, performing their trademark mix of spaced out and spooky originals plus quirky covers put through their ska machine! Their brand of eccentricity, infectious feel good music and larger than life personality got pretty much everyone in the crowd up and dancing!
Headliners Razorlight followed, billed as the biggest band ever to play the festival. They enjoyed a phenomenal reception from around eight thousand festival goers. The band, fronted by Johnny Borrell kicked off a stunning set with ‘In the Morning,’ and followed up with all their best known hits and album gems including ‘Golden Touch’, ‘Fall to Pieces’, ‘Who Needs Love?’, ‘Somewhere Else’, ‘Los Angeles Waltz’, ‘Wire to Wire’ and ‘Can’t Stop This Feeling I’ve Got.’ Leaving the stage after around an hour and with the crowd screaming for more they returned for an encore, ending a magnificent performance with their global hit ‘America.’
On the opening Friday evening, the main stage was headlined by electronic dance duo Daft Punk The Tribute, alongside 90’s Britpop covers band Marblehead Johnson, new London four-piece Next Stop Mars and Rochdale singer/songwriter Joe Dunne.
The festival food and drink village was very busy throughout with over 20 traders selling delicious dishes, street food and much more. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) celebrated 160 years of policing in Rochdale with an indoor and outdoor exhibition. The town centre was buzzing with street theatre and other family entertainment, including a big wheel on the Esplanade giving riders a great view of the festival site.
On both days crowds gathered to watch a record 90 abseilers descend by rope down Rochdale Town Hall’s190-ft stone tower raising thousands of pounds for WHAG, an organisation who provides housing and support to victims of domestic abuse.
The festival was funded by the council together with sponsorship from The Flying Horse Hotel, Rochdale Football Club, Metrolink, O2 Rochdale, The Royal Toby, Rochdale Town Centre Management and Rochdale Sixth Form College.
For photos, videos and to leave your feedback visit www.facebook.com/feelgoodfestival or go to @FeelGoodFest on Twitter.
14 Aug 2017